I heard it's not that hard to get the Delta Skymiles card, but what about the Hilton card ? I'm planning to go for this after my recent inquiries fall off.
you can ALWAYS switch products since they are all part of the optima family. Go for the easiest "in the door" and switch to whatever you want. I went with platinum optima for its prime+4% and 3.9% for 6 months dealio.
Steve, Sam is right. Actually - if you want the most Hilton points for your inquiry - you definitely should apply for the Blue Delta Skymiles ($55 annual fee) or Gold Delta Skymiles ($85 annual fee) card, which will grant you 5,000 or 10,000 Skymiles bonus points just for opening, respectively. Then - after your Skymiles post to your Skymiles account (about two months) - convert the Skymiles card to the Hilton card (no inquiry needed), and have your annual fee prorated and refunded back to you. Then call Delta and have them convert your Skymiles points to Hilton points. 5,000 Skymiles = 10,000 Hilton points 10,000 Skymiles = 20,000 Hilton points This is way more than the 7500 bonus points that you earn by applying for the AmEx Hilton Hhonors card directly. It does cost about two months worth of an annual fee, but that's worth it wrt to the Hilton points you can earn by doing it this way. I should add that if you already have the Green charge card - the Blue Skymiles card is free and the Gold Skymiles card is $30 (which can still be prorated and refunded back to you).
Darn, I should have converted my Optima Platinum to the Hilton card instead of closing it a few months ago. Does anyone know if it's possible to shift some of the credit line from an existing AMEX account and open up a new one ? This is what I did earlier - I shifted the entire line from the Optima Platinum (3K) to my Blue account (5K). The Blue is at 8K now and the Optima is closed.
Yes, with the MORE dept., you can shift some of your credit line to open a new account. But you have to apply for the new account first (i.e. there has to be an application on record for them to shift the line to). But - for you- it would be easier to just call AmEx up and ask them to re-open your Optima Platinum account. Once it is re-opened, convert it to the Hilton Hhonors card.
I don't think Starwood covers Hilton hotels, it just covers Sheraton and some other hotels and suites. AMEX update: I just called AMEX and they said they would reinstate the Optima account (Thanks, Marci). I'm not sure if I'll be able to use the old card (didn't cut it up), if not the rep said a new card with a new number will be mailed soon, but the history of the old card will remain. I forgot to ask this: since I transferred the 3,000 to the Blue before and closed the Optima, will the reinstated Optima still have a limit of 3K ?
I don't know. That would be interesting. Let me know what they do wrt that. They'll probably give you a new $2K limit on the Optima and leave your Blue as is. I'd call back in a couple of days to make sure the account is reopened.
A few people say they have gotten some skymile Amex card with over 20 inquiries maybe this is the card for me with 11/12 inquires.
I called the automated customer service number and entered my old Optima account number and it looks like AMEX reinstated the account with the old limit (3K). I wasn't able to do this when the account was closed as it always transferred me to a CSR so I think the Optima account is back!!! I'll call customer service in a few days to be sure though. This could definitely be a backdoor for credit increases that I just happened to stumble upon. Does anyone know the number for the MORE team ? I'm planning to transfer some of the Blue CL to the Optima and eventually convert to Hilton.
Steve, And you Blue is still the same limit??? That's great! How many months elapsed between your closing the Optima account and re-opening it? MORE - 1-800-947-8192
Yeah, the Blue is still at 8K. I think I closed the Optima at the end of January so it's been almost two months.
AMEX update: Just called and found out that the account was reinstated with the original limit of 3K, the Blue stays at 8K. I should be receiving a new card with a new number, but it will include the history of the old card. I'm planning to increase the CL and convert to Hilton Honors soon. Thanks Marci and others for the info. about converting one Amex credit card to another. I never knew this was possible before.
Steve, Congrats. I got a little envious of you and did some maneuvering myself. Yesterday, I allocated $2000 of my Blue line to my new AmEx Hilton Hhonors account. I get more Hilton benefits with the AmEx card than I do with the Citi USA Signature card (3x v. 2x for regular purchases, and 5x v. 3x for Hilton purchases). I have a business trip coming up with an expensive Hilton stay, so I decided to get the most out of my points. Besides, I get another set of bonus points (7500) for opening the AmEx account. After the Hhonors Platinum arrives, I'll close my Delta Skymiles account, move that line back to the Blue and get my prorated $30 annual fee back. I'll also close the Green card, and get that $55 prorated annual fee refunded b/c the Citi USA card reads as an "open account" with the CRAs (don't need the Green for that anymore). In the meantime, I'll ask for a cl increase on the Hilton card. If I get the CL increase, it will be the third time that it has worked for me since December. So, I'll have: Amex Blue $5000 AmEx Hilton Hhonors $2000 (maybe $5000 if they approve cl request) Other rewards cards: MBNA Quantum $10000 Ciit USA Hilton Hhonors Signature $5000
